--- title: "Elon Musk Says Starship Generated an Unexpected “Rock Tornado”" description: "The fallout from SpaceX's explosive Starship test continues, with Elon Musk admitting that it caused even more damage than we thought." date: "2023-05-01" modified: "2023-05-01" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/elon-musk-starship-rock-tornado" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "Space" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" - "Starship" - "the digest" --- # Elon Musk Says Starship Generated an Unexpected “Rock Tornado” ![The fallout from SpaceX's explosive Starship test continues, with Elon Musk admitting that it caused even more damage than we thought.]() *\Image: Patrick Pleul via Getty / Futurism\* ## Rock Out The fallout from SpaceX's [literally explosive Starship orbital test]() continues, with CEO Elon Musk now admitting that it caused even more weirdness than we thought before. During a [Twitter Spaces talk]() over the weekend, Musk said the world's most powerful rocket to date generated a "rock tornado" during liftoff, which was absolutely not part of the plan. It was, as the CEO said per the [*New York Times*' transcription](), "basically a human-made sandstorm." "But we don’t want to do that again," he cautioned. ## Success? The thrust from the rocket's 30 engines apparently also caused the [concrete underneath it to shatter]() — which, again, doesn't seem like it was a planned-for bit of collateral damage. To head off such damage during the next launch, which *could* happen in as few as six to eight weeks — pending many unknowns, including [ticked off federal regulators]() — Musk said during the talk that SpaceX would be installing a large, water-cooled steel plate that apparently wasn't ready in time for the [4/20 launch](). Like a lot of [sycophantic experts](), Musk said that in spite of the many things that went wrong with the test launch and subsequent [intentional self-destruction]() — including, but not limited to, [setting a nearby state park on fire]() and [wrecking part of SpaceX's own facilities]() — the entire debacle was good, actually. "It was actually good to get this vehicle off the ground because we've made so many improvements," he said. "Really just needed to fly this vehicle and then move on to the much-improved booster." That's one upshot, we guess. **More on Starship:** [*SpaceX Is in Big Trouble With the FAA After Starship Explosion*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()